


That Beautiful Waste of Time

by TheDoctorIsIcecube



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU in which Link is a prince, F/M, Link and Zelda are cuties, Sheik is a little shit in the best sort of way, Zelda's father is a dick, and Zelda is not a princess, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 07:22:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6461122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDoctorIsIcecube/pseuds/TheDoctorIsIcecube
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding someone to court was utterly hopeless, no one at this party was at all interesting...until she caught his eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Beautiful Waste of Time

**Author's Note:**

> There is another (unfinished) part to this that is set a couple of years earlier where Link was considerably more sick and weak, had very rarely been allowed outside of the castle due to his health, and was also hella gay for Sheik. Just as some background info. 
> 
> ~Em

"Sheik, I don't look too bad, right?" Link turned nervously from side to side, feeling a little awkward in the fancy clothes he had been given to wear.

"You look just fine," his servant said. At least Sheik also looked slightly uncomfortable in his official clothes, Link noticed.

"What if I don't like any of the girls, though?" Link fidgeted nervously with his hands, and chewed anxiously at his lip. "Or...what if I end up liking a boy, instead? How do I explain that?"

"I don't know, sorry," Sheik said. "Maybe, if you don't like anyone at all, you can just feign illness?"

"Stay close to me- I may faint into your arms at a moment's notice if I decide I have had enough," Link said with a small wry smile. "I suppose there is no sense in putting it off longer. We should go down and greet the guests."

"You mean you," Sheik laughed. "I don't have to say a word." Link didn't think he could say anything to that, so he started to make his way to the hall where the ball would be held.

It was already rather busy down there, and Link could see where his mother had clearly been in charge of the decoration. She had insisted on not consulting him this time, as it was supposed to be his party, and there was perhaps just a little too much gold. He didn't like gold because it made his hair look too white. But he couldn't complain after she'd put so much effort in.

Link hovered in the entrance for a moment, and then Sheik prodded him in the back and he sighed and stepped in properly. Maybe he could just go and hide by the food table all evening.

Of course, someone decided it was a good idea to announce his presence as soon as he entered the room, so he was immediately bombarded by everyone who wanted to talk. Link sighed deeply and did his best to smile and look polite, occasionally casting 'save me' glances at Sheik, who just smiled sympathetically back.

Eventually he managed to sit down at his table with his mother and father, and both of them immediately beamed at him. 

"Found anyone you like yet, Link?" His father looked around the room. "There are many fine people here."

He had barely even looked around the room. It felt wrong, just choosing someone to court. "Um, not yet." He wasn't even that old. Surely at eighteen he didn't need to be thinking about stuff like this. Maybe in five or ten years, but not NOW.  
It wasn't like he was well enough to...well. Have a child with someone. Which was probably what his father wanted.

"Never mind," his mother said, resting a comforting hand on his arm. "Have something to eat, and make sure you talk to everyone. You'll find somebody, I know it."

He didn't even like rich people. The only person he'd ever been attracted to was Sheik. That was it. But he couldn't have Sheik, because they'd tried it and it didn't work. They were better as friends, and anyway Link was pretty sure Sheik had been seeing one of the kitchen boys for a few months now. But there was no chance he'd like one of these people. They just weren't as attractive as Sheik. None of them were.

Link talked with his parents for a few minutes more and then wandered off to get some food, muttering his complaints about this ridiculous party to Sheik. His servant merely shrugged, reminding Link that he HAD agreed to this party in the first place.

He just sat with some food, watching the party. People kept asking him to dance, young women who were probably trying to be appealing. Link promised he would dance when he was finished with his meal, but he desperately didn't want to. Flirting didn't make any sense to him, and no doubt these girls would all talk at him and expect him to talk back and sound interested when really, all he wanted to be doing was reading in his chambers.

He kept looking around. There was no one here he even wanted to look at or talk to. Except Sheik. "I am seriously tempted to pull that fainting trick we were joking about earlier," he murmured quietly so as not to be heard by anyone but his servant. "I've been here three quarters of an hour and this is ridiculous." He looked around sadly. There was nothing at all good about this party. The food was like any other day, even. 

This was pointless. He may as well just-

Someone caught his eye, and smiled very slightly at him before looking away again. A girl who wasn't dancing or talking to anyone, but sitting alone and picking unenthusiastically at her food. He felt a blush rise in his cheeks quickly. Okay, so one person. She was very pretty.

"Sheik," he whispered, catching the other's attention and nodding over at the girl. "What do you think of her?"

"Her family aren't related to yours," he said, and Link sighed with relief. He wasn't going for a cousin.

"Do you know anything else about her? Do you think she's pretty?" Maybe Sheik wasn't the best person to ask for judgement on a girl's appearance, but he was the only person Link had to talk to.

"She's definitely quite pretty," Sheik said. "If you like girls."

"How do I go and talk to her?" Link shuffled in his chair. He'd never had to talk to girls before, and what he'd had with Sheik had just sort of...happened.

"I'm not going for you," Sheik laughed. "You could go up to her and ask her if she would like to dance? Politely."

"R-right. Um." Link made no move to get up. "She's going to say no. I know it."

"She won't, she's here to get the chance to be with you," he said.

"Hmm." Link sat indecisively for a couple more minutes, until Sheik rolled his eyes and pulled him up by his arm. "Hey!"

"Go on, ask her." Sheik pushed him towards the table that the girl was sitting at.

Link looked despairingly back at his servant for a moment and sighed before nervously making his way over.  
"Um. Hi."

"Noooooo," Sheik whispered. "Be charming, not awkward."

Link ignored him, largely because he had no idea HOW to be charming. 

"Hi," the girl said, looking up at him. "Don't feel like you're obligated to speak to me, I understand if you'd rather be dancing."

"Um, actually," he smiled, "I was going to ask you if you would dance with me."

"Really?" Her face brightened in a smile, and Link was pretty sure he was blushing again. "I would love that, if you're really sure you want to dance with me."

"You can have my first dance of the evening," he smiled back at her. "I do want to dance with you, but I'd rather not do this fast one. I might not keep up."

She nodded, pulling out the chair next to her so that Link could sit down and wait for a better song. "I suppose I don't really need to ask your name, obviously. But mine is Zelda Harkinian."

Ohh, Harkinian! Definitely not related to him then. That was very good. "Who are you here with?" He asked.

"My two older sisters," Zelda explained. "I can't stand them, but my father insisted that I attend this party with them."

"I'm glad you did," he said, hoping that it passed for flirting. "You're not only very pretty but you're also not about sixty years my senior."

Zelda laughed, and Link was pretty sure that the sound was enough to cure whatever illness he had. 

"You are very kind, Prince Link."

"How well can you dance?" He asked. Everyone's eyes would be on them when they took to the dance floor.

"Quite well," she said after a moment's thought. "How about you?"

"I'm not a very active person, honestly, but my mother says I'm not too clumsy." This faster song was coming to an end and Link was starting to see people hovering in his direction to ask again.

"Those people are eyeing you like Wolfos watching a flock of cuccos," Zelda said, amusement in her voice. "If we are going to dance, it may be wise to stand up now."

Link waited a moment to hear what the music was like this time. Much slower than before. He nodded and stood up, bowing his head and extending his hand to Zelda. "My lady, would you give me the honour of this dance?"

"I would, your highness." She took his hand and stood up, and Link pulled her closer and tried to remember how he was supposed to dance to a tune like this. The memory surfaced after just a moment, thankfully. He tried to focus on the dance and not the people watching, and especially not Zelda. He was starting to think that pretty was the wrong choice of words.  
Beautiful was closer to the mark. Maybe even perfect. She was a better dancer than him, too, adding a fluidity to the steps that Link had never quite perfected. He smiled at her, starting to get breathless from the effort of leading the dance. She smiled back, and squeezed the hand that was holding one of his. She was a little taller than him, but Link didn't mind. Most people were taller than him.

"I think I've decided who I like most in the room already," he said quietly.

"Really?" Zelda said, and Link was surprised by the particular tone she used. He wasn't entirely sure how to describe it... Hopeful, maybe? Restrained, as if she didn't dare believe that he would care for her.

"It's definitely you," he said. "I don't think I can do another dance just yet, though."

"That's fine." As the song came to an end, Zelda led him back over to the table they had started at. Sheik was leaning against the wall nearby, and he raised his eyebrows at Link as if to say 'see, that wasn't so hard'.

Link was immediately swarmed by a good four people who wanted to be his second partner of the evening. Zelda looked down at the floor as if she almost expected him to choose someone else now, but Link was just doing his best to get these people away. He wanted to talk to Zelda now, wanted to learn as much as he could about her.

Eventually, once all the women were gone, a man came to sit down at the table with them. "Your Highness, may I introduce myself?"

"You may," Link said, because he had to be polite even though he would much rather just have Zelda to himself for a while.

"I am Lord Harkinian," he said, sticking his hand out for Link to shake it.

"A pleasure to meet you." Link shook the offered hand, glancing to Zelda at his side. She seemed to have shrunk slightly in her chair at the sight of her father, which worried Link.

"I very much appreciate that you've danced with my daughter," he said. Link could sense a counter to that coming and he didn't like it.

"The pleasure was all mine," he said carefully. "I was hoping to enjoy her company a while longer, sir."

"Yes, that's the thing. Are you aware that Zelda here has two older sisters? One of them would be far more worth your time- my eldest is heir to the Harkinian estate, you see."

"I think it's my time to spend," he said, smiling slightly at Zelda, who looked devastated. "And I would like to spend it with Miss Zelda here."

"Hmm." Her father frowned, but stood up. "Very well, boy. I had hoped you would be more business-minded about this, but it seems not." He walked off, and Link looked over to Zelda again. Her face was buried in her hands, as if she was trying to hold back tears.

"Zelda?" He didn't know if he should get out of his chair or just reach over. He didn't know if Zelda would welcome the scene he was willing to cause.

He beckoned Sheik over quietly. "Can you go and find a pastry or a small cake for Zelda, please? And-" he lowered his voice even further, "if you can find a way to make Lord Harkinian's evening somewhat more unpleasant, I would appreciate that."

"My pleasure, sire." Sheik's grin definitely reassured Link that at least something would be okay. He strode off and returned with a small pastry as instructed, and then hurried off again towards the kitchens. Link watched him go with a somewhat devious grin, and then turned his attention to Zelda, scooting his chair closer and resting a hand on her arm. 

"Forgive me, my lady, but your father seems to be an incredibly unlikeable man." Link saw that she maybe smiled slightly at that. "I definitely want to spend my time with you." He offered her the pastry, and there was a definite smile that time. 

"I apologise for...for all of this, your highness. My father seems to make it his only goal in life to tell me that I am worthless in comparison to my sisters, and it is hard not to let such criticism affect oneself after a while."

"I'm sure Sheik will know just how to deal with him." He laughed slightly as he said it. "Sheik is my servant, but he's meant to be a bodyguard."

"You two seem close," Zelda said, taking a bite of the pastry. "More like friends than master and servant. How long have you known one another?"

"I would say about twelve years," he said. "I'd like to think Sheik sees me as a friend."

"I would say that he does. The way he looks at you, certainly- he cares for you very much." That made Link blush just a little, and he hoped there was no way Zelda would be able to know about their past together.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked. He didn't know how he'd ask her to court him at the end of the evening.

"A little, thank you." She finished eating and rested her hands in her lap; in a daring move, Link reached over and took one, holding it between his own two hands. The reaction was definitely worth it. Zelda's face lit up, and she smiled so brightly at him he thought he'd died.

Just then, there was a crash and a shout- Link looked up in alarm and then dissolved into giggles as he saw what had happened. Lord Harkinian was standing still, looking utterly furious, his pale jacket dripping with red wine. Sheik was next to him, apologising whilst clearly having a hard time trying to keep a straight face.

"I'll go and sort that out," he said, still laughing and standing up. Zelda was giggling too, and that was just as beautiful as her full laugh. 

Link ran over to his servant and the angry lord, trying to control his expression and barely managing it in time. "I'm very sorry, sir, please forgive my servant." 

"He did it on purpose, stupid Sheikah!" The man raged. "Don't even deserve to be in this country, does he even understand Hylian?"

Sheik glanced at Link and gave the barest flicker of a wink before bowing his head and speaking fast in the Sheikah tongue. Link raised a hand to cut him off, still trying to hold back a grin. "I will ensure that he is dealt with very firmly. May I get you a tissue?"

"I will be fine on my own, thank you," he snapped. Link tried not to laugh as Sheik tried his best to look like he was terrified.

Lord Harkinian stormed out of the hall, and Sheik and Link waited until he was well out of sight before collapsing into giggles again. 

"Thank you for that, Sheik." Link tapped him lightly on the arm, still grinning. "There. You have now been very firmly dealt with. Take the rest of the night off, go enjoy yourself."

"I'll be in a corner of the kitchens if you need me," Sheik winked and gleefully left the room.

Link rolled his eyes, having no doubt what his servant would be getting up to, and made his way back over to Zelda. She was clearly trying not to laugh, but seeing Link's grin sent her into giggles again. "Did he intentionally spill that wine on my father? Did you tell him to do that?"

"I told him to think of something to do, he thought of the wine himself," he laughed, and sat down next to her again.

"Thank him from me the next time you see him. Where has he gone now?" Zelda smiled lightly, taking hold of Link's hand again and pushing her chair a little closer.

"I told him to have the evening off," he said. "He's probably going to get drunk."

He neglected to mention Sheik's kitchen servant friend, instead just enjoying the little laugh Zelda gave.  
"Being around you makes it easy to forget what my father says, so thank you very much for that, Link."

"I'm going to ask you to court me at the end of the party, is that okay?" With no Sheik to bail him out he felt quite reckless. Why had he said that so plainly?

"Oh!" Zelda turned to look at him again, smiling wider than Link had seen yet. "That is okay. Very okay."

Link smiled back at her. He felt incredibly happy inside. Maybe this party wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought. "I feel I should warn you that I spend considerably more time reading than doing anything else," he said quickly. "Just in case you were thinking I was one of those brave princes who...does stuff with swords, and- I don't know, rescues people."

"I read a lot too," she said. "Although my father always says there is no point being smart when I just need to find a husband."

"And he assumes your future husband would not want you to be smart?" Link frowned. "There is no shame in intelligence."

The song ended and people started coming up to Link again. Link scanned the room for someone he could dance with without it looking romantic in any way at all. The only person he really wanted to dance with was Zelda, even though he knew he was supposed to talk to as many people as possible. He spotted a child who looked to be about eight years old, though. He could dance with her, right?

"I must keep up appearances," he said quietly to Zelda. "I'll dance with a child, and maybe someone else completely unsuitable, just so that I can say I talked to more than one person."

She nodded. "I will dance with someone else too, if that's okay with you." Link didn't see why it wouldn't be.

"I shall see you again at the end of the evening, then, my lady." Link smiled, standing and bowing just slightly.

He felt light inside as he went to ask the child if she would dance with him. It was a nice break, he liked talking to children. They were usually as bored as he was at these events.  
It was a far less serious dance than the one he had shared with Zelda, more like a game of chase around the hall than anything else. Link was a more than a little exhausted at the end of it. He lead the child back to her parents when the song was finished, and she was smiling. That was nice, at least someone was.

Link danced with a couple of other people; one other bored child, and one woman in her sixties who seemed happy to have some company. He liked making people happy, although he still wanted to make Zelda happy more than anyone else.

He also danced once with his mother, who asked him if he'd decided who he was going to court.  
He had smiled and nodded, and she had asked not to be told, and to let it be a surprise for the end of the party. Link had a feeling she probably knew, as everyone had seen him with Zelda. He hoped Zelda didn't want to have children very soon or anything. He was sure he'd be able to do it at some point, he just couldn't yet. Two years ago, simply kissing had left him exhausted after a few minutes. Now, he though that he could probably manage a bit more, but...he wasn't going to risk anything.

He sat down again once he'd finished dancing with his mother. He was done with dancing for the night, unless he had to dance with Zelda once more. She came to join him a few minutes later, a little out of breath from dancing but still as beautiful as before. 

"How much longer does this party last? I don't know about you, Link, but I find myself missing peace and quiet."

"Um, I think my father decides when it ends," he said. He didn't get to say when he'd chosen.

"Very well. May we just stay here? I would be content to talk until the end of the night." One hand twined with Link's again, and he felt another rising wave of warm happiness.

"I would be delighted to," he said, smiling. He was starting to really like Zelda.

He wasn't sure how long it was before his father stood up, silenced the partygoers with a few loud words, but the time had felt like nothing at all. Zelda was perfect for him, he had decided; they seemed to have almost everything in common. They'd talked about what they loved for a while now. Zelda lived in a mansion on the edge of a town mostly populated by Sheikah, and she spoke some of their language as much as Link spoke.  
They both shared the same great passion for literature, and Link already had a list of several new books that Zelda had recommended to him. He had no doubt that she was the right choice for him to court.

Link stood up, leaving Zelda to stay seated. He didn't know what would happen after this, but he presumed his father would invite Zelda and her family for dinner at some point.

"My son will now announce who he has chosen to court," the king said, resting a hand on Link's shoulder and pushing him gently forwards.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my evening here today," Link started, a little nervously. He didn't want to offend anyone. "And I would like to ask Lady Zelda Harkinian if she would do the honour of courting me."

There was a hushed mumble throughout the hall; heads turned to the table where Zelda was sat. She stood up, smiling. "I will gladly accept this invitation, your highness. Thank you for this honour."

Link smiled back at her and turned around to sit down again. He was so happy. He'd had a tiny fear that she was going to decline. His father insisted on making a few more speeches, and his mother spoke too, but Link was happy just to look at Zelda and smile.

He couldn't wait to see her again.


End file.
